Published 10:33 am, Thursday, October 11, 2012

I don't know much about the man behind A New Beginning, German Pascual, but I do quite like it. It's his latest release and contains some good straight-ahead metal. With a mixture of thrash and power metal, there's never a dull moment on this release. Oh, even better it is Christian metal, but I'll be damned if I noticed.

The Graviators produce an altogether sleazy brand of heavy rock. Evil Deeds sounds like just what you would expect by the title. It's catchy as stink and compelling as hard rock is supposed to be. There is a vague hint of stoner and doom about, but this release is just the icing on the cake.

Italian power metal that never lets up, that is what Holy Knights peddle. Between Daylight and Pain is what you would expect from this genre-epic and grand in every way possible. One thing that struck me was the fact that this band did not sound Italian at all, which is unusual for bands from that country. It is far more Germanic sounding than much of the music that comes out of Italy.

Here's some more Italian metal, this time much more of the progressive variety. The band is called Metaphysics. The album is called Beyond the Nightfall and as you might expect it frequently brushes against power metal. There is quite a bit of variety on here and the release never gets boring. The five year wait since their initial demo was well worth it.

So power metal is getting boring for you? Well, how about delightfully dark goth heavy rock? Tiamat will cure that itch quite nicely with their latest album, The Scarred People, which continues their trek from death metal to something catchy and danceable. Whatever you call it, the music is quite enticing and attractive.

Meat Loaf has unleashed another DVD on the world in the form of Guilty Pleasure Tour and it is decent. What is most troubling for fans of the man is how ill he comes across in the interview included with the concert. As you might expect, this mostly focuses on music from Hell in a Handbasket, his latest release. That said it is an impressive show from an incredibly tight band backing Meat. It's not be missed by fans of the man.

That is your lot for this week, stay safe and rocking out there, you hear?